The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-04-08
WORSE THAN SLAVERY.
eTARTLlNe DISCLOSURES MADE sE-
FORE AN INVESTIGATING BOARD.

Reoitsis Of the Inpositions Practioed In
Large Retail stores in Chioago-Cash
Girls and saieswomsn Fined for Most
Trivial Onenses-others Told to Lead
Lives Of immortality.
SPRINGFIELD, NJ, April 6-The report
OF the Illinois board of labor statistics,
which win soon be ready for distribution,
states that the system Of exacting fines
for delinquencies IL practically In vogue
In all the large retail houses In Chicago,
and that In some instances 10 Is made 90
severe and oppressive to deprive employees
Of the means Of paying board bills. The
commissioners say that the rapid pro-
gress which this system "a making In
Illinois IL an occasion for deep concern.
The filming system was introduced 70
check absenteeism,rsnt In every case It
has only exaggerated and increased the
evil
The first case investigated deserving
mention is an establishment doing q gem
eral merchandise business, employing 900
clerks. Two are adult males, 5l5 adult
females, sixty nine boys under 10 years
of age and eighty-fivs girls under Is years
of age. Cash girls mostly under IA
years of age, state that they get but q
per week, are fined for every mistake, for
laughing, talking, or for not Flying
around fast enough to suit the
floor walker" Fines on cash girls
range from 8 to 90 cents. Sales
women are fnsd for various offenses
One young lady had laughed and was
fined twenty. five cents She said the
amount of fines depended principally
upon the Aoor walkers, Of which there
are about sixty. It is stated that floor
walkers are expected to fine employees at
least the amount of their salaries Der
week. This Is doubtless an sxaggsration
that has grown In the minds of the en-
ployes, yet one man told the commission
ers he had been discharged from mar
camille house as floor walker for not
filming enough.
One young lady made out the fol-
lowing statements for the bu-
reau: "The way in which
the employees are fined In some Of our
largest stores has become outrageous.
will give you few facts that have como
under my observation during the time
have been in this store. One young lady
has worked just two months, during
which time she has been fined e5 cents,
having been fined from 10 to 90 cents
each time for errors in salesbooks;
another girl who was receiving but O.
per week and paying % for board and
90 cents week for car fare, was fined
81 for an error in her salesbook; another
girl was fined % cents for accidently
squeaking the door Of show case; another
was fined %. cents for eating q
q piece Of ice during very warm day In
midsummer; another was fined Is cents
for humming while cleaning stock; an
other 30 cents for breaking 3 glass In q
picture frame which sells for IS cents.'
So far as factories are concerned It was
revealed in this Investigation that only
females are fined. Men will not stand it.
The filming system was fonnd to be uni
versal among the hotels and restaurants
of Chicago, and the investigation dis
closed the fact that the fines for breakage
range from two to four times the value of
the article broken.
This distressing state Of things was found
to exist in the cloak factories One
manufacturer told the commissioners he
had persistently refused to employ girls
that came from rival factory, not only
because of inferior workmanship, but be-
cause of their moral character. He
looked upon that house as hell through
which are run young girls to prepare
them for street walkers. One witness
stated that ne heard the proprietor of the
factory marked "H" say that IL the girls
in his factory did not earn enough In the
shop to pay their board they might
make the rest up at night on the streets. -